What is dynamic stretching, and why is it important?
In this blog post, we talk about the importance of dynamic stretching and how it can help you improve your gym sessions.
We completely understand that you cannot wait to get back to the gym once you've got that barbell in your hands, lifting and feeling powerful. BUT, we wanted to talk to you about one significant thing you should do before getting to that barbell to make sure you are ready to lift!
That is STRETCHING. Not just stretching, but dynamic stretching.
We don't just mean a couple of arm swings and leg stretches before you get going, but doing specific dynamic stretches will get the blood flowing around your body correctly! More movement equals more blood flow. More blood flow equals more oxygen, and more oxygen means you are READY TO LIFT!
Too often, we see people head in straight in, do a couple of half-hearted static hold stretches at the beginning of a session, and then get going - but by doing this, you increase the risk of injury as your muscles are not warm.
What's the point in stretching anyway?
In the same way, you can't jump into a car and go from 0-to 70mph; you need to warm up your body before getting to those 70 mph (or 70KG) lifts! So again, stretching is necessary to help improve your range of motion in crucial joints.
Research shows that your performance can be improved when you introduce some dynamic stretches into your warm-up compared to those that did just static stretches or nothing at all.
What's the difference between dynamic and static?
The main difference is movement. But, of course, both types of stretches have their place in your session. We'd recommend dynamic at the start of your session and static at the end, and go through a range of 3-5 dynamic stretches before you get started. With dynamic stretching, you don't hold a pose for any length of time; it's about making sure your joints are warm before you get started!
Static stretching does what it says on the tin - it's keeping your muscles in that stretched static position for at least 30 seconds. So we'd typically expect you to do static stretches at the end of your workout to allow your muscles to loosen up after all the work they've just done!
Our three favourite dynamic stretches:
We wanted to share our three favourite stretches (World's greatest stretch, Walk-outs and Adductor stretch) for you to try out at home. Click on the links below to watch Tig in action!
If those videos helped you, then check out our seven day free trial to StrongHer method online, with three different programmes to suit your goals.